MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION EXAMINATION SPECIFICATIONS

1 The purpose of the Australian Medical Council is to ensure that standards of education, trainingand assessment of the medical profession promote and protect the health of the Australian Community. Australian Medical CouncilMULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONEXAMINATIONSPECIFICATIONS The purpose of the Australian Medical Council is to ensure that standards of education, training and assessment of the medical profession promote and protect the health of the Australian community. November 2010 Edition 9 ABN 97 131 796 980 ISSN 1325-426 XCopyright for this publication rests with the Australian Medical Council LimitedAUSTRALIAN MEDICAL COUNCIL LIMITEDPO BOX 4810 KINGSTON, ACT, 2604 AUSTRALIAT elephone: 02 6270 9878 Facsimile: 02 6270 9799 Email: EXAMINATION SPECIFICATIONS BOOkLETIMpORTANT NOTEC andidates are advised to study this booklet closely before presenting for AMC should note that the AMC is not involved in the administration of Medicare.

2 Any questions concerning Medicare Provider Numbers should be directed to the Australian Department of Health and Ageing. Nor is the AMC involved directly in aspects of registration to practise, which is the responsibility of the Medical Board of Australia (MBA). EXAMINATION requirements may change. All matters concerning the AMC EXAMINATION , including any changes in the format and content or associated procedures, will be conveyed to candidates in writing by the Secretariat. Candidates are recommended to regularly check the AMC website for of ContentsGUIDELINES AND SPECIFICATIONS ..1 Introduction ..1 Assessment Aims and Objectives ..1 Structure of the AMC EXAMINATION ..1 Standard of the AMC Examinations ..2 ThE MCQ EXAMINATION ..2 Requirements of the MCQ EXAMINATION ..2 COMpUTER ADApTIvE TEST (CAT) fORMAT EXAMINATION ..3 Commencing 2011 series.

3 3 Delivery of the AMC CAT format MCQ of items ..4 Scoring of the EXAMINATION ..4 Pilot items ..4 Content of the AMC CAT MCQ EXAMINATION ..4 AMC blueprint of Computer Adaptive Test format MCQ EXAMINATION 120 scored items ..4 Candidate information on Clinician Tasks and Patient Groups ..5 Clinician tasks ..5 Patient groups ..5 EXAMINATION administration for AMC candidates ..6 AMC Score ..7 Scoring of answers ..7 Online MCQ trial EXAMINATION and sample questions ..7 Topics covered in the MCQ EXAMINATION ..8 Systems, regions and disciplines ..8 Glossary of Medical Terms used in MULTIPLE CHOICE Questions ..9 Reference range for laboratory investigations used in MULTIPLE CHOICE Questions ..9pREpARING fOR ThE MCQ EXAMINATION ..10 Review of topics ..10 Anthology of Medical Conditions ..10 Handbook of MULTIPLE CHOICE Questions ..11 Reconstructed AMC papers ..11 General preparation for the MCQ for answering MULTIPLE CHOICE Questions.

4 12 Type A Questions (one out of five correct) ..12 Image or data interpretation questions ..12 Applying for the MCQ EXAMINATION ..12 Conduct of candidates presenting for the AMC MCQ EXAMINATION ..12 The AMC Computer-Administered MCQ EXAMINATION ..13 MCQ Results ..14 Request for duplicate copies of AMC results ..14 GENERAL INfORMATION ..14 Change of Address ..14 Further A ..15 Attributes of Medical graduates ..15 Knowledge and Understanding ..16 Skills ..17 Attitudes as they Affect Professional Behaviour ..18 AppENDIx Questions ..19 Sample MCQ responses for AMC MCQ sample questions ..22 AppENDIx of medical terms used in MULTIPLE CHOICE Questions ..23 AppENDIx of suggested reading material for EXAMINATION preparation ..24 Anthology of Medical Conditions ..24 Handbook of MULTIPLE CHOICE Questions ..24 Handbook of clinical Assessment ..25 Multi-station Structured clinical Assessment DVD.

5 25 Suggested text books ..25 Medicine ..25 Surgery .. & Gynaecology ..27 Psychiatry ..27 General Health ..28 Online resources and guidelines ..28 Refugee Health ..29 Ethical and legal responsibilities ..29 Textbook ..29 Online resources and guidelines ..301 Guidelines and specificationsGUIDELINES AND SpECIfICATIONSINTRODUCTIONT hese guidelines and SPECIFICATIONS have been prepared to assist candidates for the Australian Medical Council (AMC) EXAMINATION . The guidelines contain information about: the format and content of the AMC MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION (MCQ) EXAMINATION levels of clinical knowledge, skills and attitudes required to satisfy the requirements of the EXAMINATION the requirements and format of the MCQ EXAMINATION the areas and topics covered in the EXAMINATION preparing for the AMC EXAMINATION sample QUESTION items for the MCQ EXAMINATION suggested reading lists for the should study these guidelines in conjunction with the current AMC publication Applying to the Australian Medical Council, which sets out the formal procedures for the AMC EXAMINATION .

6 This publication is available on the AMC website at AIMS AND OBjECTIvESThe AMC EXAMINATION is designed to assess, for registration purposes, the medical knowledge and clinical skills of international medical graduates (IMG s) whose basic medical qualifications are not recognised by the Medical Board of Australia (MBA).The MCQ EXAMINATION focuses on basic and applied medical knowledge across a wide range of topics and disciplines, involving understanding of the disease process, clinical EXAMINATION , diagnosis, investigation, therapy and management, as well as on the candidate s ability to exercise discrimination, judgment and reasoning in distinguishing between the correct diagnosis and plausible clinical EXAMINATION also assesses the candidate s capacity to take a history, conduct a physical EXAMINATION , formulate diagnostic and management plans, and communicate with patients, their families and other health Of ThE AMC ExAMINATIONThe AMC EXAMINATION consists of two parts.

7 A MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION (MCQ) EXAMINATION to test medical knowledge in a one three and a half hour session containing 150 questions. The AMC MCQ EXAMINATION is a computer-administered EXAMINATION . a clinical EXAMINATION , testing clinical and communication skills, of three to four hours duration, which is administered on a single afternoon or morning. A clinical re-test EXAMINATION , duration of one to two hours, will be administered if required. MCQ examinationspecifications2 The AMC EXAMINATION is designed as a comprehensive test of medical knowledge, clinical competency and performance. Both MCQ and clinical assessments are multidisciplinary and Of ThE AMC ExAMINATIONSThe standard of the AMC examinations is formally defined as the level of attainment of medical knowledge, clinical skills and attitudes which is required of newly qualified graduates of Australian medical schools, who are about to commence intern goals and objectives forming the basis of medical education in Australia, as determined by the AMC for the accreditation of medical schools, are expressed in terms of: objectives relating to knowledge and understanding objectives relating to skills and performance objectives relating to attitudes as they affect professional objectives (Attributes of Medical Graduates) are listed in AppENDIx A.

8 In undergraduate courses, these are assessed over several years in a variety of ways, whereas the AMC assessment is conducted through a MCQ EXAMINATION and a clinical MCQ ExAMINATIONThe MCQ EXAMINATION operates as a pass/fail EXAMINATION , with the pass mark set at the level of knowledge required by Australian medical schools for their final-year Of ThE MCQ ExAMINATIONThe MCQ EXAMINATION is a test of the principles and practice of medicine in the fields of Adult Health - Medicine, Adult Health - Surgery, Womens Health - Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Child Health, Mental Health and Population Health & Ethics. The majority of the MULTIPLE CHOICE questions reflect common clinical conditions in the Australian community. In order to achieve a satisfactory level of performance, a candidate will require a knowledge of: pathogenesis clinical features investigative findings differential diagnosis management and questions in the MCQ EXAMINATION will test basic or essential knowledge and understanding of topics covered by the EXAMINATION .

9 Other questions will require more insight and will test the candidate s capacity to distinguish between the correct diagnosis and plausible alternatives. Questions may contain images of X-rays, electrocardiograms (ECGs), scans, clinical photographs and other visual Adaptive Test (CAT) format EXAMINATION In general, the MCQ EXAMINATION will test a candidate s capacity for reasoning rather than rote learning. The MCQ EXAMINATION includes questions which are regarded as critical to the safety or clinical outcome or threat to life for the patient, or are based upon important common conditions and one of:A. Related to life threatening illness; orB. Critical to safe practice (includes professionalism); orC. Successful clinical outcome; orD. Important aspects of public healthCOMpUTER ADApTIvE TEST (CAT) fORMAT ExAMINATIONCOMMENCING 2011 SERIESA Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) format of MCQ is a form of computer-based test administration in which each candidate takes a unique, customised EXAMINATION .

10 Research over the past decades has confirmed the comparability between CATs and fixed length tests, but with CATs requiring less than half the number of questions to obtain more precise results. The development and refinement of Item Response Theory and Rasch models provided the theoretical structure and calibration data necessary for building item banks on a common scale. Each test is created from a common pool of previously calibrated questions and is automatically equated to any other test drawn from that pool. A pass/fail point (cut score or standard) is defined for the EXAMINATION , and each candidate is measured against this point regardless of the group of candidates with whom they are examined, or the particular set of questions they are administered, or when they take the Of THE AMC CAT fORMAT MCQ ExAMInATIOnIn the CAT MCQ format EXAMINATION , for each candidate the first QUESTION is randomly selected from the item pool.